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Messenger-Inquirer, Owensboro, Ky.
Kentucky women will meet Texas in NCAA Sweet 16
- Story byMessenger-Inquirer, Owensboro, Ky.
- Kentucky women will meet Texas in NCAA Sweet 16
Kentucky will meet Texas in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament on Saturday. It will be like a home game for Texas, being played at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas. Tipoff is 2 p.m. CT and the game will be televised on ABC.
Kentucky was ranked No. 18 when it faced then No. 4 Texas on Feb. 9 in Austin . Texas prevailed 64-53. Kentucky is a No. 5 seed in the Fort Worth 2 Region. Texas is the No. 1 seed in the Fort Worth 2 Region.
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This is Kentucky's 19th appearance in the NCAA women's tournament, including its second straight. UK is 25-18 all-time in the NCAA women's tournament.
In getting by West Virginia 74-73 on Monday at Hope Coliseum in Morgantown, W.Va. Kentucky beat a top four seed for the third time in program history.
The Wildcats also are playing in their seventh Sweet 16 in program history and their first since 2016. This is the lowest seeded Cats team to advance to the Sweet 16 (5).
Kenny Brooks has done well in his two seasons on the job as head UK women's basketball coach, holding a 48-18 record in Blue and White.
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"In two years — not just the team, but my coaching staff," Brooks said Monday night. "In two years, we got here in two years, and we were a missed shot away last year from going to the Sweet 16, then we were one point win this year going to the Sweet 16. We've been a ranked basketball team every week that we've been at Kentucky. That's a tribute to my staff, to the young people that we brought in, everybody believing in what we're trying to do."
"It was just a tremendous weekend for us, our team," Brooks said. "Very hard fought game (against WVU). West Virginia played their way into the opportunity to host. They deserved it. I felt like we could have hosted. We had some injuries. So we knew we had to go on the road. We adopted that mentality probably midway through the year. It was like, okay, whether we host or not, we're going to be emotionally ready."
Teonni Key is a senior forward who had a team-lead 19 points and 10 rebounds against West Virginia for her seventh double-double this season. She has led UK in scoring three times this season. It is the ninth time this season Key has had 10+ rebounds.
Clara Strack , junior center, had 18 points and 14 rebounds for her 16th double-double of the season. She is now 10th on the program's all-time, single-season scoring list (591). Strack added a team-lead four assists and a team-lead four blocks. She improved her single-season school record in blocks to 91.
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Strack is the fifth player ever to have at least 18 points, 15 rebounds, four assists, four blocks and one steal in an NCAA Championship game.
"Very proud of our kids," Brooks said. "They all stepped up. I thought Clara was tremendous, 18 and 15, really manned the paint. Teonni with 19 and 10 bounced back from a subpar game (Saturday). I told both of them one day before practice in the preseason that they had the potential to be the best frontcourt in the country. Tonight they showed why they can be that.
"They're tandem, both of them are 6-foot-5, they're mobile. You saw Teonni bringing the ball down the floor, helping break the press. Clara did it a couple times. Then they can man the paint. So I was very proud of those kids.
"Tonie really, she ran the show. She ran the show through the pressure, 40 minutes. She knew she wasn't coming out. She was going to face it. She's been facing it all year, and she's grown from it. When we play Texas, when we play Tennessee , when we play Ole Miss, all those games really help prepare her for this moment."
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In the NCAA women's tournament first round, Kentucky used a 19-2 run in the first quarter to build a sizeable lead, then cruised past James Madison 71-56 on Saturday.
Tonie Morgan led the Cats with 18 points against JMU, while adding seven rebounds and seven assists. Amelia Hassett hit four three-point shots on her way to 14 points and Jordan Obi came off the bench to score 12 points.
Clara Strack had a double-double with 10 points and 14 rebounds, while Key came up just short of a double-double with nine points and 10 rebounds.
